Fort McCoy CWOC training for 2018-19 finishes with hundreds trained

1 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –A Soldier prepares to climb out of a hole cut into an ice-covered Big Sandy Lake after jumping in the water as part of cold-water immersion training for Class 19-01 of the Cold-Weather Operations Course on Dec. 13, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Soldier was one of 38 students in the course. In addition to cold-water immersion training, students were trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focused on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –A student in Fort McCoy's Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-02 works on building an improvised shelter Jan. 17, 2019, at a remote location on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL3 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Spc. Nick Powers with the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry of the Wisconsin National Guard, a student in Fort McCoy's Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) 19-02, works on building an improvised shelter Jan. 17, 2019 at a remote location on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL4 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-02 start their skiing orientation and familiarization Jan. 10, 2019, at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area at Fort McCoy, Wis. In addition to skiing, CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL5 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-02 start their skiing orientation and familiarization Jan. 10, 2019, at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area at Fort McCoy, Wis. In addition to skiing, CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL6 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Cold-Weather Operations Course Class 19-05 students watch a training video during their first day of training Feb. 21, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The course is 14 days long and, in addition to classroom training, includes training in a wide range of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training, using the ahkio sleds, setting up the Arctic 10-person cold-weather tent, and more. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, and camouflage and concealment. The course is managed by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL7 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-04 learn knot-tying skills from instructors Hunter Heard and Manny Ortiz on Feb. 8, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL8 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-04 learn knot-tying skills from instructors Hunter Heard and Manny Ortiz on Feb. 8, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL9 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-03 complete a ruck march in below-zero temperatures while wearing snowshoes and backpacks while pulling ahkio sleds Jan. 29, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL10 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-03 complete a ruck march in below-zero temperatures while wearing snowshoes and backpacks while pulling ahkio sleds Jan. 29, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL11 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-02 complete a ruck march while wearing snowshoes and backpacks as well as while pulling ahkio sleds Jan. 9, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL12 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-02 complete a ruck march while wearing snowshoes and backpacks as well as while pulling ahkio sleds Jan. 9, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL13 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 19-02 complete a ruck march while wearing snowshoes and backpacks as well as while pulling ahkio sleds Jan. 9, 2019, at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL14 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –A Soldier takes the plunge into a hole cut into an ice-covered Big Sandy Lake as part of cold-water immersion training for Class 19-01 of the Cold-Weather Operations Course on Dec. 13, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Soldier was one of 38 students in the course. In addition to cold-water immersion training, students were trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focused on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL15 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –A Soldier climbs out of a hole cut into an ice-covered Big Sandy Lake after jumping in the water as part of cold-water immersion training for Class 19-01 of the Cold-Weather Operations Course on Dec. 13, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Soldier was one of 38 students in the course. In addition to cold-water immersion training, students were trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focused on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL16 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –A Soldier climbs out of a hole cut into an ice-covered Big Sandy Lake after jumping in the water as part of cold-water immersion training for Class 19-01 of the Cold-Weather Operations Course on Dec. 13, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Soldier was one of 38 students in the course. In addition to cold-water immersion training, students were trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focused on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL17 / 17Show Caption +Hide Caption –A Soldier climbs out of a hole cut into an ice-covered Big Sandy Lake after jumping in the water as part of cold-water immersion training for Class 19-01 of the Cold-Weather Operations Course on Dec. 13, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Soldier was one of 38 students in the course. In addition to cold-water immersion training, students were trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focused on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol)VIEW ORIGINAL

More than 220 students who were part of six, 14-day training sessions graduated from the Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) during the 2018-19 winter training season at Fort McCoy.

Overall, nearly 400 service members - including Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers - received some type of cold-weather operations training from CWOC instructors.

Students included a Total Force aspect with mix of Guard, Reserve, and active-duty service members participating in the course. A contingent of Army Rangers participated in class 19-05.

It was also a season with multiservice involvement with Marines as well as Navy personnel participating in several classes.

"I think this season went really well," said Hunter Heard, CWOC instructor who works for contractor Veterans Range Solutions, which supports the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, or DPTMS. "This season was great for the students because of the weather we had throughout the season, so the students got the full exposure of cold-weather and snow."

The CWOC is modeled after the Cold-Weather Leader Course taught by the Army Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC) at Black Rapids, Alaska. During training, students learned about a wide range of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and the Arctic 10-person cold-weather tent, and how to build improvised shelters.

"This course demonstrated through crawl, walk, and run phases the vital tasks of cold-weather operations," said Capt. Christopher Scott Peterman with the 349th Tactical Psychological Operations Company of Aurora, Colo., who was a student in CWOC Class 19-06. "I will take the knowledge I learned here and share it with my detachment and company. Directly, this course taught me to manage uncomfortable situations and how to better work in a team with others."

For each class, students would start off with classroom training and then move into various aspects of field training utilizing many types of equipment. CWOC Instructor Joe Ernst said some came to the course having never been on skis or snowshoes.

"We would have many students who couldn't ski when they got here, and then when they leave two weeks later, they are pretty good at it," Ernst said. "We are fortunate to have a place like Whitetail Ridge Ski Area for them to train on as well. It's a great facility that always has what's needed to teach the skiing portion of our training."

Students also completed miles and miles of ruck marching in the snow and cold during the season. Sometimes the students were marching in snowshoes and skis and they covered dozens of miles.

"The training is by no means easy," said CWOC Instructor Manny Ortiz. "They have to work hard and work as a team to complete this course and graduate."

During field training, students also completed terrain and weather analysis, camouflage and concealment, and risk management; learned to properly wear cold-weather clothing and prevent cold-weather injuries; developed winter fighting positions and improvised shelters in the field; and built teamwork skills, Ernst said.

More students may sign up for training because of the successes already achieved in the course.

"Fort McCoy is always a good place for any kind of training I have done since joining the military," said Class 19-06 student Sgt. Joshua Harvey with the 323rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Company of Sioux Falls, S.D. "I will definitely be encouraging Soldiers from my unit to attend this course because it is good training and the instructors are full of endless knowledge."

CWOC classes resume again in December, Heard said, and they expect to train the same amount of students or more.

Additionally, Fort McCoy can tailor the classes to support the unit commander's training objectives during extreme weather, said DPTMS Director Brad Stewart.

"We have held 4- to 8-hour courses with Operation Cold Steel sustainment gunnery crews and two- to four-day courses with units from the 181st Multifunctional Training Brigade," Stewart said. "Our job is to train as many Soldiers to operate in cold weather and see it as a combat enabler, rather than an inhibitor. Our focus is on junior leaders because they will be the ones training their junior Soldiers how to operate, fight, and win in extreme weather conditions. Exposure and training prior to combat increases readiness and builds muscle memory for success on today's battlefields."

Fort McCoy has supported America's armed forces since 1909. The post's varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching "ftmccoy," and on Twitter by searching "usagmccoy."